Risk Factors for Childhood Myopia: Findings From the NICER Study.

Purpose: We explored risk factors for myopia in 12- to 13-year-old children in Northern Ireland (NI).

Methods: Stratified random sampling was performed to obtain representation of schools and children. Cycloplegia was achieved using cyclopentolate hydrochloride 1%.

Automated prediction of risk for problem opioid use in a primary care setting.

Unlabelled: Identification of patients at increased risk for problem opioid use is recommended by chronic opioid therapy (COT) guidelines, but clinical assessment of risks often does not occur on a timely basis. This research assessed whether structured electronic health record (EHR) data could accurately predict subsequent problem opioid use. This research was conducted among 2,752 chronic noncancer pain patients initiating COT (≥70 days' supply of an opioid in a calendar quarter) during 2008 to 2010.

The half-lives of intact and elastase cleaved human corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG) are identical in the rabbit.

Corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG) is a non-inhibitory member of the serpin superfamily of serine protease inhibitors and carries the majority of cortisol in circulation. It can be cleaved by neutrophil elastase at its exposed reactive centre loop which decreases its affinity for cortisol allowing the release of most of the cortisol at sites of inflammation. Intact and elastase cleaved CBG can be distinguished from each other and can coexist in circulation but with unknown half-lives.

Evaluation of Health Plan Interventions to Influence Chronic Opioid Therapy Prescribing.

Objectives: Evaluate health plan interventions targeting physician chronic opioid therapy (COT) prescribing.

Materials And Methods: In 2006, Group Health's (GH) Integrated Group Practice (IGP) initiated diverse interventions targeting COT prescriber norms and practices. In 2010, the IGP implemented a COT guideline, including a mandated online course for physicians managing COT.

The Discrimination of Printed Words by Prereading Children.

In addition to the discrimination of individual printed letters, beginning readers must learn to perceive individual letters within complex, whole-word stimuli. The present study shows that the discrimination of letters presented individually does not automatically entail the discrimination of 3-letter printed words that differ only in the first letter (e.g.

Identifying factors associated with concordance with the American College of Rheumatology rheumatoid arthritis treatment recommendations.

Background: Factors associated with care concordant with the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) recommendations for the use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are unknown.

Methods: We identified a national cohort of biologic-naive patients with RA with visits between December 2008 and February 2013. Treatment acceleration (initiation or dose escalation of biologic and nonbiologic DMARDs) in response to moderate to high disease activity (using the Clinical Disease Activity Index) was assessed.

The rheumatoid arthritis treat-to-target trial: a cluster randomized trial within the Corrona rheumatology network.

Background: The treat-to-target (T2T) approach to the care of patients with rheumatoid arthritis involves using validated metrics to measure disease activity, frequent follow-up visits for patients with moderate to high disease activity, and escalation of therapy when patients have inadequate therapeutic response as assessed by standard disease activity scores. The study described is a newly launched cluster-randomized behavioral intervention to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of the T2T approach in US rheumatology practices. It is designed to identify patient and provider barriers to implementing T2T management.

The TLR4 D299G and T399I SNPs are constitutively active to up-regulate expression of Trif-dependent genes.

Dysregulated Toll-Like Receptor (TLR) signalling and genetic polymorphisms in these proteins are linked to many human diseases. We investigated TLR4 functional variants D299G and T399I to assess the impact on LPS-induced responsiveness in comparison to wild-type TLR4. The mechanism by which this occurs in unclear as these SNPs do not lie within the lipid A binding domain or dimerisation sites of the LPS-TLR4/MD2 receptor complexes.

Modeling the field control of the surface electroclinic effect near continuous and first-order smectic-A* to smectic-C* transitions.

We present and analyze a model for the combination of bulk and surface electroclinic effects in the smectic-A* (Sm-A*) phase near a Sm-A*-Sm-C* transition. As part of our analysis we calculate the dependence of the surface tilt on external electric field and show that it can be eliminated, or even reversed from its zero-field value, as demonstrated in previous experimental work on a system (W415) with a continuous Sm-A*-Sm-C* transition. We also analyze, for the first time, the combination of bulk and surface electroclinic effects in systems with a first-order Sm-A*-Sm-C* transition.

Chronic opioid therapy urine drug testing in primary care: prevalence and predictors of aberrant results.

Background: Urine drug tests (UDTs) are recommended for patients on chronic opioid therapy (COT). Knowledge of the risk factors for aberrant UDT results could help optimize their use.

Objective: To identify primary care COT patient and opioid regimen characteristics associated with aberrant UDT results.

Comparison of refractive error measures by the IRX3 aberrometer and autorefraction.

Purpose: To compare the aberrometry-derived refractive error measurements from the IRX3 aberrometer (Imagine Eyes, Orsay, France) with a standardized measure of refractive error from the Shin-Nippon SRW-5000 (Japan) autorefractor in a large sample of school-aged children.

Methods: Participants were a subgroup of children from the Northern Ireland Childhood Errors of Refraction Study phase 2 (n = 161 9 to 10 years; n = 147 15 to 16 years). Refractive error was measured under cycloplegia (1.

Enhanced neonatal Fc receptor function improves protection against primate SHIV infection.

To protect against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) infection, broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) must be active at the portals of viral entry in the gastrointestinal or cervicovaginal tracts. The localization and persistence of antibodies at these sites is influenced by the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn), whose role in protecting against infection in vivo has not been defined. Here, we show that a bnAb with enhanced FcRn binding has increased gut mucosal tissue localization, which improves protection against lentiviral infection in non-human primates.

Higher order ocular aberrations and their relation to refractive error and ocular biometry in children.

Purpose: The interaction between higher order ocular aberrations (HOA) and refractive error is not yet fully understood. This study investigated HOA in relation to refractive error and ocular biometric parameters in a population with a high prevalence of ametropia.

Methods: The HOA were investigated in two cohorts of Caucasian children aged 9 to 10 and 15 to 16 years (n = 313).

Perioperative management of antiphospholipid antibody-positive patients.

Perioperative management of antiphospholipid antibody (aPL)-positive patients is challenging because there are limited data on which to base recommendations. This population of patients is at high risk of thrombosis at the time of surgery; it is essential that medical and surgical teams devise a plan to minimize the patient's risk of thrombosis without increasing bleeding risk. During the perioperative period, pharmacological methods should be combined with physical methods, patients should be closely observed for thrombosis, and any deviation from the normal course should be considered a potential aPL-related event.

Critical behavior of a noncritical field: destruction of smectic order at the smectic A-C tricritical point and implications for de Vries behavior.

Critical behavior near the smectic A-C tricritical point is studied using renormalization group techniques. Critical fluctuations induce a singular softening of the smectic bulk modulus in the A phase. At the tricritical point, the quasi-long-range positional order of the smectic layers is destroyed.

Validity of a Non-Speech Dynamic Assessment of Phonemic Awareness via the Alphabetic Principle.

Most assessments of phonemic awareness require speech responses and cannot be used with individuals with severe speech impairments who may use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). This study investigated the reliability and construct validity of the Dynamic Assessment of Phonemic Awareness via the Alphabetic Principle (DAPA-AP), which does not require speech. In all, 17 adults with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities completed the DAPA-AP, a letter-sound knowledge task, four measures of phonological awareness, and two reading assessments.

No effect of femtosecond laser pulses on M13, E. coli, DNA, or protein.

Data showing what appears to be nonthermal inactivation of M13 bacteriophage (M13), Tobacco mosaic virus, Escherichia coli (E. coli), and Jurkatt T-cells following exposure to 80-fs pulses of laser radiation have been published. Interest in the mechanism led to attempts to reproduce the results for M13 and E.

Longitudinal study of spherical refractive error in infantile nystagmus syndrome.

Purpose: To explore the onset and progression of spherical refractive error in a population with infantile nystagmus syndrome.

Methods: Retrospective refractive error data were obtained from 147 medical records of children with infantile nystagmus syndrome (albinism n = 98; idiopathic infantile nystagmus n = 49), attending a low vision clinic in Northern Ireland, over a 24 year period (1986-2010). Data were categorised by age to allow for comparisons with published studies.

Antibodies VRC01 and 10E8 neutralize HIV-1 with high breadth and potency even with Ig-framework regions substantially reverted to germline.

Abs capable of effectively neutralizing HIV-1 generally exhibit very high levels of somatic hypermutation, both in their CDR and framework-variable regions. In many cases, full reversion of the Ab-framework mutations back to germline results in substantial to complete loss of HIV-1-neutralizing activity. However, it has been unclear whether all or most of the observed framework mutations would be necessary or whether a small subset of these mutations might be sufficient for broad and potent neutralization.

The 'Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids' community randomized controlled trial: a community-based healthy lifestyle program for fathers and their children.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the 'Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids (HDHK)' program when delivered by trained facilitators in community settings.

Method: A two-arm randomized controlled trial of 93 overweight/obese fathers (mean [SD] age=40.3 [5.

Psychiatric assessment of mood instability: qualitative study of patient experience.

Background: Mood instability is a common reason for psychiatric referral. Very little is known about how patients with unstable mood experience assessment and diagnosis.

Aims: To investigate the experiences of assessment and diagnosis among patients with mood instability and to suggest improvements to this process.